


Waiting For Her

by melissaeverdeen13



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:01:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25611001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melissaeverdeen13/pseuds/melissaeverdeen13
Summary: The story of Jackson and April growing up together in a beach town; love and loss told in a series of vignettes.
Relationships: Jackson Avery/April Kepner
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Waiting For Her

**Author's Note:**

> TW: (I don't wanna spoil anything, just don't read it if you're easily triggered)

**2000**

The two of them started as babies on the beach. 

In Saint Joseph, Michigan, there weren't many other places to go other than the beach. Catherine Avery and Karen Kepner knew that very well, though they had both just moved to the city at the beginning of the summer. With both of them being single moms with babies the same age, living in the same neighborhood, they had all the friendship they needed in one another. The same could be said for their 11-month-olds, too. 

Jackson Michael was growing fast, faster than his mother could keep up with. Though he got taller by the day and outgrew shoes faster than she could buy them, his demeanor was withdrawn and meek. He didn’t take kindly to strangers and never had. That is, until he met April. She brought him out of his shell, all 17 pounds of her. 

What April lacked in size she made up for in moxie. She was a little sprite with her mother’s red hair, freckles, and big hazel eyes. Her first word had been an adamant ‘no!’ and she did everything on her own terms. She never crawled, she just decided to get up and walk one day. Meanwhile, Jackson hadn’t yet taken his first steps. He was in no rush. 

April, on the other hand, was always on the move. In the sand, where her little feet could gain more traction, she refused to sit still and play like Jackson was happy to do. April wanted to be in the water. 

“Mama water now,” April said, standing on wobbly legs as she pointed towards the blue, unending expanse of Lake Michigan. “Mama water. Mama water  _ now _ .” 

Along with her impressive walking skills, April was a proficient talker. She started first thing in the morning and said her last words while sleeping at night. She had thoughts that demanded to be set free, and she would make sure that someone listened. 

“No, baby. Not now,” Karen said, turning back to her conversation with Catherine. 

After being told no, April took the situation into her own hands. With a determined frown, she stomped towards the shore and crouched to touch the whitecaps with her tiny hands. 

“April, no,” Karen said, coming up behind April and latching her hands around the baby’s waist. “What did Mama say?” 

“No, no,” April said, kicking her legs. 

“That’s right, I said no,” Karen replied. “I want you to sit in the sand with Jackson and make us a big castle.” 

“No,” April said, but complied as Karen set her down next to Jackson - who was, in fact, building a lump that could be construed as a castle. 

“Water,” April said quietly. Then, she raised her squeaky voice. “Water!” 

“April,” Karen warned. “Do you want to come sit with Mama?”

April paid her no mind. She simply got to her feet and stomped towards the lake again, as if to prove a point. But Karen was on her in no time, scooping her up and bringing her back to the towel and to Jackson. 

It happened twice more before April snuck off while Karen’s head was turned. She made it all the way up to her knees before being thwarted a final time - her mom’s hands tight around her middle as Karen carted her back under the umbrella. 

“Sit down, April,” Karen barked. “That is naughty. That is very naughty and unsafe, do you hear me? We can go in the water  _ together  _ in a few minutes. You don’t go by yourself. You are too little.” 

April stared at Karen with low-set eyebrows and blinked hard. Jackson, from a few feet away, threw his head back and cried. 

**2003**

“Jackson, you come in now! Jackson, come in with me, okay? Jump! And I will catch you!” 

April and Jackson’s swim teacher, Julissa, looked to April with a dubious expression. “Let me do the catching, okay, sweet pea? You just hold onto the side and cheer him on!” 

“No, I will catch you!” April said, floating away from the wall that she was supposed to be holding onto. “I promise, Jackie. I will!” 

Jackson looked between Julissa and April, wondering who to believe. April had never fallen through on him before, but her plan didn’t seem like the smartest idea. He knew a little about swimming - he practically grew up on the beach - but it was scary to do it in front of everybody. And April was shouting, which was only making people stare. 

“Just jump, scaredy!” April sang. 

“April,” Julissa scolded. 

“Boys can be scared, too,” April said indignantly, as if that’s what Julissa was scolding her about. “Jump, Jackie! Jump, Jackie! Jump, Jackie!” 

If only to get April to stop shrieking, Jackson jumped into the water. He was submerged for only a moment, thanks to the floaties he was wearing, and came up sputtering. April had her arms locked around his middle and was working on keeping his head above water. 

“See, I told you!” she cheered. “I catched you! I told you!” 

Jackson took a big breath, then clung to the wall. He wiped his eyes free of the chlorine water and blinked hard into April’s smiling face. She was smiling so big that her cheeks were bulging, and that smile was just for him. It did make him feel a lot better that she was right there. He definitely wouldn't have jumped in without her in the water, too. 

“Wanna do it again, Jackie?” April said gently, squishing his cheeks between her palms. “Wanna jump in again?”

He smiled against her hands and said, “Yeah. I wanna do it again!”

**2009**

“You know what we should do? Bury each other in the sand!” April said, throwing her beach towel over her shoulder as they walked down the dune. 

The two were headed to a beach frequented by only those in the neighborhood. There was no lifeguard, but the water wasn’t deep and April and Jackson had been swimming for their whole lives. They were, at age 10, allowed to go alone.

“No, I don’t think so,” Jackson said, kicking his slides off to walk barefoot instead. 

“Why?” April asked. 

He shot her a worried glance as he fanned out his towel. “Because. My mom says there are sinkholes.” 

April raised her eyebrows as far as they’d go. “Sinkholes?” she laughed. “Seriously? Jackson, this is Michigan. Not the rainforest. There are no such things as sinkholes here.” 

“Yes, there are,” he said. “You can bury someone not even that deep and it’ll activate one. And you’ll just be gone forever. Nobody can pull you back up. The earth just swallows you whole.” 

“It sounds like you’re reading baby books again,” April scoffed, and took off her shorts to kick up the surf in her red bathing suit that she got from being a junior lifeguard at the YMCA. 

“I’m not,” Jackson said. “You’d be so scared if it happened to you.” 

“I guess,” April said. “But it  _ won't _ . So, can you stop being a baby for one sec? And please, just bury me?” 

Jackson sat on his towel, frowned, and pulled out a chapter book.  _ Not  _ a baby book. “No,” he said. “I’m reading.” 

April scoffed and said, “Fine. I’ll do it myself.” 

Jackson glanced over as she started to dig a hole with both hands like a determined dog. The sand flew behind her in arcs, some of it making it all the way to the water, but most of it flew through the air to land on April’s towel. He didn’t bother telling her. It wouldn't make her stop, anyway.

He was deep into his book by the time April made a hole big enough to fit her body into. She laid down, satisfied, and started covering herself up. It didn’t take long, either. Once everything but her head was covered, she flashed a wide grin and patted the sand on top of her belly. 

“See, look? Look, J. I’m fine!” 

“Uh-huh.” 

He decided not to pay her any mind. April liked to gloat, and it wasn’t one of her better qualities. She had others that were much more pleasant. So, he kept his eyes on the pages of his book and continued to read about Panem. 

That is, until April started panicking. 

“Jackson. Jackson, I feel the sand moving. I think I’m sinking. Jackson, it’s a sinkhole!” 

Jackson threw his book, stood up, and yanked her hand as hard as he could. She came flying forward and landed face-down in the sand - and at first he thought she was crying really hard. But when she lifted her head, he saw that she was laughing. 

“You are so gullible!” she squealed. 

He clenched his teeth. She had tricked him. He was tired of her pranks in general, but this one had gone way too far. 

“You’re a freak,” he said, grabbing his book angrily and plopping back down on the towel. “Go fall in a sinkhole. See if I even care.” 

“Jackson…” 

“Shut up,” he said, opening his book in front of his face so she wouldn’t see the tears that had sprung to his eyes. His sniffle gave him away, though - much to his chagrin. 

“Wait, are you crying?” she asked, and the tone of her voice had changed. “I didn’t mean… it was just a joke. I thought you’d laugh.” 

“Jokes are supposed to be funny.” 

“I know,” she said. “It wasn’t nice. I’m sorry. Don’t cry… I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.” 

He didn’t lower the book, because his eyes were still hot. He hated being scared like that, it was true. But what he hated more was the idea of April being in danger. It made him sick to his stomach, and the feeling hadn’t gone away even though he knew she was safe. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, trying again. She scooted over and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder like she liked to do. “I’m a stupid idiot.” 

“Yeah.” 

“The stupidest idiotest idiot in the world,” she said, which made him laugh. 

“Just don’t do it again,” he said. 

“I won’t,” she said. “Promise.” 

**2013**

“I think you went through poison ivy back there.” 

“I did not.” 

“Well, if I did, you did,” April said. 

“I’m not allergic to it,” Jackson retorted with a smile. “Sucks for you, sensitive skin ginger.” 

“Freak,” she replied, sticking her tongue out at him. “Why’re we out here in the woods, anyway? I feel like we’re gonna get murdered, or something.” 

“There are no murderers in Michigan,” he said. 

“Um… have you never heard of the Co-Ed Killer?!” 

“No…? You watch too much YouTube,” he said, rolling his eyes. 

“I watch just enough, thank you very much,” April said, marching ahead. 

“You don’t know where we’re going!” 

“I know I’m gonna get there first,” she said, then broke into a full sprint without any warning. 

Jackson chased after her, like he was used to doing, and only caught up after she tripped over an exposed root and landed flat on her face. 

“Oh, shit,” he said - trying out a curse word that he only got brave enough to say in the past week. And only when he was far, far away from his mom and any other adult that could report back to her. “You okay?” 

“Damn root,” April said, dusting off her legs. She was trying out the whole cursing thing, too. “Fucked up my knees.” April got a little more into it than Jackson did. 

“Here,” he said, then pulled her up from the ground. “That’s what you get for running so stupid fast.”

“Any running is fast compared to your slow ass,” she giggled, then slipped her hand into his. 

It was natural as anything, like they’d been doing it every day of their lives. When, in fact, this was the very first time. Jackson’s heart was about to hammer out of his chest and onto the forest floor. His mouth went insanely dry, and his brain was suddenly a blank pile of mush. All he could see was her face, and it was all he wanted to see. The even mix of freckles and dirt on her skin, the flecks of yellow surrounding her pupils, the way her hair curled at the ends. 

Jackson was sure he was in love, and it only took a little hand-holding to solidify it. 

Neither of them spoke. They didn’t want to mess up the moment or say something wrong, so they said nothing at all until they had to - when they finally arrived at the place Jackson had been telling her about. 

“This is it,” he said, using his free hand to point. “The rope swing I found.” 

April let go of his hand, and he was left cold and wanting. He knew he wouldn’t stop thinking about that for the rest of the day. Or night. Or week. 

“Oh, sweet!” she said, tying her long red hair up into a ponytail. “I call first!” 

“You call only,” he said. “I’m not getting on that thing. It looks like it’s about to snap.” 

“Jackie,” she said, tugging on the rope with all her might. “Look. It’s super strong. It’s been here for a hundred years. What, you think it’ll break now?” 

“Maybe!” 

“Just watch me,” she said, then backed up to get a running start. She flew at the rope, jumped up, and flew across the ravine that it was hung over. Once she landed on the other side, she posed and called to him, “Come on!” 

“Nah, I’ll go around,” he said. 

“There is no way around,” April said. “And I’m not swinging back ‘til you come over.” 

Jackson looked the rope up and down. Everything in him was yelling not to do it. His mom’s voice in his head was telling him not to do it. He knew it wasn’t smart. 

“If you come across, I’ll give you a kiss,” April shouted, interrupting his thoughts. 

His head snapped up and he stopped thinking immediately. “What?” 

“You heard me,” she said, popping her hip to one side. “I’ll kiss you. Just get over here.” 

Jackson had never moved faster in his life. He got the same running start that she did, and made it across without a hitch. It wasn’t even scary, really. 

“Okay,” he said, a little out of breath once he landed. 

“Close your eyes…” she said, and he did. “Pucker your lips…” she said, and he did.

With a smirk, April licked her first two fingers and pressed them deftly to Jackson’s waiting mouth. She giggled softly, which made him open his eyes and pull back. 

“Hey!” he said. “You tricked me!” 

Laughing, April screamed and ran in the other direction. Jackson couldn’t help but laugh, too, even though his best friend was infuriating. He knew she wanted to kiss him just as bad as he wanted to kiss her. But with April, everything had to be a game.

He was in it for the long haul, though. He was willing to play. 

**2016**

It was the summer before their senior year, and Jackson and April were on the beach yet again. It wasn’t anything new - they were always on the beach - but this time, it felt different. They were 17, and instead of building sandcastles and having dunking contests, they were drinking beer with their friends and trying to name constellations. 

Somehow, within the blink of an eye, they felt so grown up. 

“Remember when I pulled that mean-ass prank on you when we were 10?” April mused, lying on her back next to Jackson. They were shoulder-to-shoulder, a good distance away from the group. Every now and then, the side of his foot would hit hers, and she’d touch him back. Something was about to tip over the edge tonight; she could sense it.

“Scarred me for life,” he said, in his new low voice. 

She could still remember when she heard the switch for the first time. It was over the phone, and it was like he cleared his throat one day and his high-pitched kid voice was gone. She missed it, at first. But since then, she’d gotten used to her best friend who now sounded like such a man. She had to admit, his new voice was sexy. 

“I used to be such a brat,” she said, laughing.

“Used to be?” 

She smacked his chest with the backs of her knuckles. “Ha-ha.” 

He laughed and extended an arm, welcoming her into the crook of his shoulder. This wasn’t new, but it was rare. April accepted the invitation eagerly and snuggled into his side, one hand on his stomach. She could feel how hard his heart was beating, and it comforted her that he was as nervous as she was. 

She ran her nails up and down his chest, working up the courage to say what she wanted to. “Jackson,” she whispered. 

“April.” 

She propped herself up on an elbow and looked him in the eyes. This should be the easiest thing in the world, but it wasn’t. It really wasn’t. 

He gave her a wide-eyed, fretful look in response. “What?” he said. “You’re freaking me out.” 

“No… I… I just have to tell you something.” 

“Then, tell me,” he said.

April took a deep breath and steadied herself. It was three words, three simple words. They’d said the phrase to each other a million times, but it meant something different tonight. 

“I love you,” she said, forcing herself to maintain eye contact as she spoke. 

Jackson crinkled his eyebrows. “Huh?” 

“I love you,” she repeated, bolstered now. “And not like a best friend. Well, I love you like that, too. But I love you  _ more _ than that. I think I have for a long time.” 

She stared at his face and waited for his expression to change. It took a moment for her words to sink in, but once they did, a huge smile broke onto his face.

“Took you long enough,” he said, then pulled her on top of him in the sand. 

“What do you mean?” she asked, straddling his hips. 

“I’ve just been waiting, is all,” he said, keeping two sturdy hands on her waist. 

“You could’ve said it first, you know,” she said. 

“Nah,” he said. “You know you wanted that spotlight. Don’t lie.” 

April lips screwed up in a smirk, and Jackson pulled on her belt loops until the two of them were nose-to-nose. 

“You wanna kiss me for real now?” he asked. “Or are you gonna pull that finger trick again?” 

“Why don’t you find out?” she said, and pressed her lips to his in their very first real kiss. 

**2017, May**

April could run faster than Jackson could, but they were equal on bikes. Because they kept such a good pace with one another, it was the perfect time - in April’s mind - to talk about their wedding. 

They’d been official for almost a year - it would be a year in three months. When they broke the news to their families, no one was surprised. Everyone had seen it coming since they were infants in the sand on Tiscornia Beach. 

Because of this, April wasted no time in planning their wedding. Not because she wanted to rush to get married, just because she liked having a plan in place. It made her feel secure, knowing that there was always something to check off, something to get done, and something to imagine. And Jackson was always a willing listener. 

“What if we got married in the fall,” she said, standing up on the pedals of her bike as they coasted down a hill. “It would be so pretty.” 

“It would be,” he said. 

“But summer here is so good,” she said, contemplating. “But a winter white wedding… OMG.” 

“You know, saying ‘OMG’ out loud kind of defeats the purpose,” Jackson said. 

“Oh, shush,” she said. “I’m thinking about spring now. The colors… think about all the flowers we could have, like real flowers. I think all that green would go really nice with mine and my mom’s hair. Right?”

“Definitely.” 

“Jackson, are you even listening?” 

“Of course, babe,” he said. “Always listening. You want a spring wedding, right?” 

“Well, maybe fall is better. I don’t want you to be overheating in your tux.” 

“Oh, not a problem. I planned on wearing cargo shorts and a Hawaiian shirt,” he said, keeping his voice even and serious.

Falling for it, April looked over with wide eyes until she realized he was joking. “You ass,” she said, swerving a little. “You scared me for a second.” 

He laughed. “Gotcha.” 

“My mom is definitely gonna be my maid of honor. And bridesmaids… I don’t know. Maybe I’ll meet some girls in college that’ll turn into my new best friends, and they can be my bridesmaids.” 

Jackson crossed his arms and rode without using the handlebars. “Thought I was your best friend,” he said, pretending to pout. 

“You’re just full of jokes today, aren’t you?” April said. “And you’re gonna fall if you’re not careful.” 

“Coming from you?” he said. “Are you sick, or something? The April I know is never cautious about anything.” 

“So rude,” she said, grinning. 

They stopped at the ice cream shop in town and sat side-by-side, April with cookie dough and Jackson with mint chocolate. 

“All I know is this,” she said, licking a circle around her cone as she dropped her head to his shoulder. “I can’t wait to be married to you.” 

Jackson smiled, though she couldn’t see his face. “Me neither,” he said, and kissed the top of her head. 

**2017, late August**

They had one night left in their hometown. One night left of the beach, of the boutiques, of the best ice cream for miles around. Tomorrow, they would both head off to the University of Michigan - together. But it was still a scary thought, the thought of leaving the only place either of them had ever lived. 

Jackson was at his desk, doing prep work for an Honors class he was taking. It started before the school year did, and he was already so dedicated. April was lying on his bed, thinking about the future - simultaneously amazed and terrified. 

“Baby,” she said, sitting up.

“Hmm.” 

“Can we go to the rope swing one last time? We haven’t been there in forever, and my mom said that they’re gonna chop those trees down soon.” 

“Sure,” he said, distracted with his work. 

“Like, right now?” she asked. “I meant right now.” 

Jackson looked away from his computer for only a moment to say, “No, not right now. I’m busy. Babe, I told you I’d be busy.” 

“I know,” she said, standing. “But can’t you just take a break?” 

“No,” he said. “We can go later, if I don’t get done too late.” 

“But you  _ will  _ get done too late,” she said, and he had to admit she was right. These days, he wasn’t getting to sleep until at least 1 or 2am. “We could just go now, and-”

“No, April, not now,” he said. 

He had raised his voice a little, which he hadn’t meant to do. But he was stressed enough as it was, and she was making things worse by nagging him about things that didn’t matter anymore. The rope swing was their past, but college was their future, and she kept refusing to focus on it. It was irritating. 

“Okay, fine,” she said, an edge to her voice. “I’ll just go then.” 

Jackson looked up, at a loss. “Babe… if you just wait…” 

“No, it’s fine,” she said. “I’ll see you later, though. Okay?” 

“Sure,” he said, because he knew there was nothing he could do - besides give in and go with her - that would fix it. 

After April left, Jackson buried himself further in the work and wondered if things would be as hard as they were right now in college. He came to the conclusion that they would probably be worse, but at least he and April could lean on each other. He knew he didn’t act like a good boyfriend or a good friend tonight, and he would make it up to her as soon as he could. He would explain how overwhelmed he was feeling and he hoped she would understand. 

Usually, April was a big texter. But since she had left pissed, Jackson wasn’t too surprised that he didn’t get a goodnight message from her. Since he didn’t get one, though, he decided to be the bigger person and send one. 

**SENT, 12:48am** \- goodnight beautiful i love you

He laid there with the phone screen inches from his face, waiting for the read receipt to pop up. He half expected her to leave him on read - sometimes that was her small way of getting him back for being an ass. But it didn’t happen. The message had been delivered, but she didn’t read it. 

There was a chance she was already asleep, but he doubted it. They didn’t like to go to bed angry at each other, or even miffed. It was an unspoken rule in their relationship. She must be really pissed this time. 

So, Jackson picked up the phone and called her. 

It rang five times, then hit her voicemail. “Hey, hey, it’s April K.! I’m busy right now, but leave me a message and I’ll call you back. Or just text me! Bye!” 

Jackson hung up without saying a word, a little concerned. It wasn’t like April not to answer his calls. That was probably one of five times that he’d ever heard her outgoing message. 

He texted her again. 

**SENT, 12:53am-** hey beautiful u ok? Im sorry for earlier. Got a lot on my mind and i shouldntve taken it out on u. Can we tlk?

When he didn’t hear anything by 1am, he called again only to hear her voicemail for a second time. Then, he got out of bed and slipped his shoes on. Something wasn’t right. This wasn’t her. This wasn’t how they’d ever left things before. 

He got in his car after slipping out the front door and drove to her house. He parked on the street and snuck around the back, looking for the tiny light that she always kept on in her room. April liked to portray the image of being fearless and bad, but he was the only person (besides her mom) that knew she couldn’t sleep without a nightlight. She kept it in the closet during the day and plugged it in when she went to sleep, and the glow was usually visible from the yard. 

But tonight, her room, like the rest of the house, was pitch black. 

His stomach sunk. He didn’t need any more proof that she wasn’t home. He could feel that she wasn’t here as much as he could feel that he  _ was _ . Something wasn’t right. 

She had gone to the forest to use the rope swing. That must’ve been where she still was, where she was hiding out and waiting for him. She was trying to prove a point. A stupid and scary point, but a point all the same. 

So, Jackson got back into his car and headed to the woods that he knew so well. With only the light from his phone guiding the way, he made his way to where the rope swing had hung for as long as he could remember. He made it to the ravine - the one that couldn’t be crossed without either using the swing or walking an extra two miles - only to find the swing gone. 

Confused, he shone his phone up into the tree. At first, he couldn’t see much because of the bugs attacking the light, and it took his eyes a moment to adjust. But after a minute, he saw that the branch that had once held the swing wasn’t there any longer - there was a gaping hole and a jagged edge in its place. 

He started breathing heavier as he lowered the flashlight to the ground. He looked near his feet and saw nothing, so he took a few steps forward, a few steps toward the ravine. The ravine that suddenly seemed so much deeper than it had ever before. 

The light caught the tail end of the swing, the white fringe of rope turned gray with use and age. With shaking hands, he followed the trail of rope until it ended with a knot in the water. The rope was floating, some was caught under the branch that had fallen with it, and some was tangled in a mess of wet red hair. 

Jackson dropped his phone and scrambled for it in the darkness. He shoved it into his pants and shimmied down the ravine as fast as he could, but his brain was no longer communicating with his muscles. His legs flailed every which way, his hands refused to grip anything, and he ended up falling more than he slid. But it didn’t matter. Once he got to the bottom, he ran to the water and pulled his flashlight out, throwing it to the ground so he could still see without having to hold it. 

He resisted the urge to scream when he saw April lying there, her top half in the water, her legs twisted at an odd angle on the bank of the ravine. 

“April,” he breathed, and flew into action. 

He hauled her out by the shoulders without letting his mind wander. She was fine. She needed CPR. She passed out, she needed water. She needed food, she needed air, she needed to get warm. She was freezing. Why was she so cold? Why was she so blue? Why wouldn’t her limbs move the way they were supposed to? 

He palmed her wet and tangled hair out of her eyes and breathed into her mouth after pumping her chest. He counted under his breath and did it again and again, with no result. She was stiff, she was unresponsive, and she was getting colder by the minute. 

“No!” he shouted, teeth chattering. “You can’t. You can’t do this. You’re fine. Please, you’re fine. You’re fine… you’re…” 

With one hand still working her chest, he dialed 911 and waited for a crew to pull them both out of the ravine. Once they were back on the forest floor, two paramedics wrapped a warming blanket around April, massaged her chest, breathed air into her lungs, and did all they could. They did all that only to pronounce her dead at the scene. 

Jackson, from a few feet away, threw his head back and cried.

**FOREVER**

Three years ago, down to the day, was when Jackson was supposed to leave for college. That was also the day he found April, dead from a fall, lying in the ravine they’d played in as kids. 

He didn’t leave to go to the University of Michigan, the school that they were supposed to attend together. He didn’t leave to go anywhere. 

He stayed in Saint Joseph with the memory of her. He spent the rest of his life in that little town on the beach, where he and April grew up together, then fell in love. 

He spent the rest of his life waiting for her. 


End file.
